The next morning, Zaroth was awoken by two soft things pressing tightly against his face.
Grasping for air, due to the lack of oxygen, was not the ideal way to wake up. But considering the life he had lived up to this point, he could say he was used to things that would normally bother him.
After finally getting some air and his vision becoming clearer, he saw that Luna was hugging him tightly, her breasts positioned exactly in front of his face.
"Wake up!" he grunted between his teeth. Luna was pressing so tightly against him that it felt like he could snap in two any second.
"Hm?" Slowly letting go, she got up, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a little messy, which somehow made her look even more attractive.
"Look, just because you're gorgeous—" Zaroth started, but stopped mid-sentence, staring at Luna's body.
"Where the hell did you get those clothes from?"
Before, she had been barely clothed, but now she was wearing a black suit that covered almost her entire body, leaving only the top of her breasts exposed.
"Hm? Oh, this?" She was still half asleep, but despite that, her voice was like music to his ears.
"You slept for a long time. After eating all that food, your core recharged much faster than I expected. So, not wanting to miss the opportunity, I used some of your mana to create clothes for myself."
As she said that, she struck various poses to show off her new outfit. "Pretty cool, right?"
Zaroth was still staring at her, trying to formulate his thoughts.
'How the heck did she make herself look hotter with clothes?! This must be some kind of sorcery only dragons know about!'
"It suits you, I guess," he replied, trying to appear calm.
"Zaroth," Luna said, looking at him with a smirk. "Do you not remember? I told you we're connected. I can more or less guess what you're thinking."
Trying to escape the situation, he replied, "I feel like you're lying, but I don't want to waste energy trying to figure it out. Let's just follow the trail."
Quickly taking the money and putting it in his pocket, he turned his back to her, internally screaming.
'FUUUUUU-'
*****
They had long ago returned to the trail and were back to following it. Soon after, Zaroth realized he found the scenery familiar, so he quickly picked up his pace, with Luna following closely.
"I am almost there!"
After a few minutes, he exited the forest and before him stood his village… his home.
Zaroth was trying to steel his resolve for what was about to come. He didn't think he would return so soon, if ever.
"Scared?" Luna asked him.
"No," he replied firmly.
"There's no shame in showing weakness from time to time," Luna responded, clearly seeing through him.
"There's no shame, but there are consequences," he muttered under his breath.
*****
Walking through his home village was a surreal experience. It was a small place with no more than a hundred people, but now it was completely deserted.
Watching quietly from the back, Luna observed him walking unbothered until he stopped in front of a small hut that was beginning to fall apart, showcasing its age.
'This must be his house,' she thought.
Quietly opening the door, he took a step forward, then suddenly stopped.
Luna kept her distance, not wanting to disturb her master.
Zaroth slowly tilted his head in her direction.
"You can come in," he said emotionlessly.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "Isn't this something you don't want anyone to see?"
"The only... the only reason I'm alive right now is because of you... so I believe my mother would have wanted to see her son's savior."
Nodding, Luna entered the hut with Zaroth. The scent of medicine and death immediately reached her nostrils.
Glancing around, she saw herbs scattered on the ground and on the cheap furniture, most likely used by Zaroth while trying to cure his mother.
Seeing how he stood motionless, she followed his gaze, and her eyes landed on a woman...
Or what once was a woman.
In the bed lay a corpse. Her entire skin was gone, revealing the weak muscles underneath. Her left eye was gone, and her legs had begun to rot.
She had suspicions when Zaroth explained his mother's condition, and she was right.
She had the muscle rot disease.
It was a painful sight until she noticed something with her vision, which was much better than her master's.
"She's breathing, she's alive," she said.
Upon hearing that, Zaroth broke out of his mental haze and ran straight to his mother.
"MOTHER! I came back!"
Upon hearing his voice, the woman's head slowly moved, her breathing shallow.
"Ah… son? How…?" Her voice was weak, as she could barely speak.
"I killed them all, mother!" he shouted, grasping her rotting hand. "The entire war camp! Everyone!"
"Thank goodness… you're alive."
Looking quietly at the scene, Luna wondered, 'How strong is that woman? She should have died a long time ago.'
"I'm here, everything will be fine now, I swear!" Zaroth shouted, then turned to Luna.
"You can help her, right? Like how you helped me before!"
Approaching him, Luna put her hand on his shoulder.
"I can only heal you since you're my master."
"Then I'm sure you know some combination of herbs that can help her, right?" Zaroth screamed, barely holding himself together.
"Zaroth," Luna said gently, her grip on his shoulder tightening. "Do you know what she's suffering from?"
"Yes, I know it's the muscle rot disease! You must know a way to help her!"
"Zaroth… this is not a disease... this is a curse cast by the gods… there's no way to help her."
"Huh?" Zaroth couldn't believe his ears. A curse? How was that possible?
Suddenly, Zaroth's mother let go of his hand and placed it on top of Luna's hand.
"You… are you a dragon? What are you doing here?"
The sudden movement of the sick woman startled Luna for a moment, but she didn't move her hand.
"I am a dragon, mas… your son saved and tamed me."
"He tamed a dragon?" Suddenly, the woman lifted her hand and placed it on Zaroth's cheek.
"See? I told you everything would be fine, didn't I?"
"Mother, I-"
"Ah, finally," his mother interrupted him. "I can die at peace." She spoke, her hand falling lifeless to the side of the bed.
"MOTHER?! MOTHER?!" Zaroth cried.
All Luna could do was watch in silence.
After a few minutes, Zaroth stood up silently, picking up a nearby shovel. Glancing at Luna, he spoke,
"Come. We have a grave to dig."
*****
Rain was falling, disturbing the silence.
Both of them were quietly looking at the grave they had dug. His mother was buried in it, finally at peace.
"Which one?" Zaroth asked.
"Which god dared to curse my family?" His voice was irritated as he spoke.
"I don't know," she replied. "But I know one thing for certain: the other gods didn't stop him."
Taking a deep breath, Zaroth turned his face to Luna, tears flowing from his eyes.
"Then… every single one of them, I will slaughter every single one of them. This is my biggest desire."
Looking at him for some reason made Luna cry. Placing her hand on his cold cheek, she looked into his emotionless eyes and smiled sadly.
"This was the plan from the start, dummy."